What's good today

At A Plus, we believe in the power of positive thinking — and storytelling.
To us, positive journalism means looking at the day's events critically,
from all angles, and with hope. Our mission is inherent to the stories we share
with you each and every day. We were founded in 2014 by actor and technology
investor Ashton Kutcher. We are proud to tell a different kind of story.

Chicken Soup for the Soul, the world's favorite and most recognized storyteller,
publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100
million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada alone, more than 250 titles,
and translations into more than 40 languages, "chicken soup for the soul" is one
of the world's best-known phrases and is regularly referenced in pop culture.

Team

Leadership

Ashton Kutcher

co-founder, chairman of the board

Ashton is co-founder and Chairman of the Board of A Plus, where he leads strategic partnerships with brands and influencers. He is a renowned technology investor and in 2009 became the first Twitter user to reach 1 million followers. A Plus reflects the convergence of his interests in media, technology, and social platforms.

William J. Rouhana, Jr.

chief executive officer

Mr. Rouhana is Chief Executive Officer of A plus. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. and has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul since April 2008. Mr. Rouhana has been a leader in the media, entertainment and communications industries for more than 35 years. He was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Winstar Communications, a wireless broadband pioneer, and Winstar New Media, one of the earliest online content companies, from 1993 until 2001. During his career Mr. Rouhana has led the acquisition of numerous media companies including Virgin Vision, a Virgin Group worldwide film distribution venture, in the 1980s. As an entertainment and finance lawyer from 1977 to 1985, he developed new film financing models for major producers such as Blake Edwards. He is a founder of The Humpty Dumpty Institute, which created the International Film Exchange, and the Co-Chairman of the Global Creative Forum, which connects the United Nations with major film and television executives, producers and talent.

Elana Sofko

chief operating officer

Elana Sofko is the Chief Operating Officer at A Plus. Elana joined Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment in 2016 as the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Distribution. Ms. Sofko brings over two decades of media and entertainment experience, always on the leading edge of innovation. Prior to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Ms. Sofko focused on a range of digital business growth initiatives for WWE, including International expansion and localization of WWE’s digital properties as well as supporting the launch and international expansion of WWE Network, a subscription based video over-the-top (OTT) service. Ms. Sofko worked on the launch of satellite radio as part of the start-up team at the company now called SiriusXM, and has overseen strategic growth initiatives at ESPN, Nokia, News Corp and A&E Television Networks. Ms. Sofko earned a B.A. in English Literature from the State University of New York at Albany, and an M.B.A. from University of Connecticut, which included a semester in China at Peking University. Ms. Sofko’s qualifications include worldwide experience in distribution, monetization, digital tech and products, business and corporate development.

Susan Kravitz

evp, sales & strategic partnerships

Susan Kravitz is the Executive Vice President of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at A Plus. Ms Kravitz's career in entertainment and advertising has spanned 20 years over which she has established herself as an accomplished sales leader and revenue generator. Prior to joining CSS Entertainment, Ms. Kravitz, served as senior vice president of national digital sales at Townsquare. Previously, Ms. Kravitz was vice president of national digital sales at Discovery Communications and has held senior sales and marketing positions at major media and entertainment companies including Meredith, OMD, and Brightline. In 2015, she won the IAB Sales and Service Excellence Award for overall sales excellence for a large sales organization. In 2004-2009, Ms. Kravitz served as president of Co.Op TV, which created, developed, packaged, and sold content for all media platforms to network executives and clients. Her television show, "Aperture," won an Emmy® award in 2009, and she was nominated for an Emmy for "The Broadroom" with Maybelline/Meredith and Candace Bushnell.

Emma Kapotes

director, digital design & user experience

Emma Kapotes is the Director of Digital Design & User Experience at A Plus. Ms. Kapotes is an alum of The College of New Jersey where she earned her BFA in Graphic Design. She got her start in the magazine industry interning for Seventeen Magazine and later went on to be the Digital Photo Editor & creative lead of Rd.com, Reader’s Digest magazine's flagship site. She loves working in digital media and continues to be passionate about all things design related.

Sales

Chris Pedersen

account executive

Chris Pedersen is the Account Executive at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. He joins CSSE from Fox Networks where he spent the first 6 years of his advertising career. He played four years of D1 lacrosse at Hobart College upstate NY. Both his siblings, older brother Tim and younger sister Taylor, also played D1 lacrosse and are all in media advertising as well! Chris loves spending time with his family, the outdoors and going to concerts.

Shannon Stevens

account manager

Editorial

Cate Matthews

executive editor

Cate Matthews is the Executive Editor of A Plus. Cate is an erstwhile Ohio University English major who made the transition into viral journalism via a stint as an Associate Editor at The Huffington Post. There she ranked among the top ten most viewed writers, bringing in as many as 30 million page views a month. She also won a spelling bee once in middle school, which she thinks is pretty cool.

Joel Lyons

senior editor

Joel Lyons is the Senior Editor of A Plus. As a journalist, Joel has covered music, entertainment, lifestyle, diversity, technology and other topics during various full-time stints and freelance gigs. His work has been seen in 944 magazine, Black Enterprise, the New York Daily News, NY1 News, SoulBounce.com, SoulTrain.com, DJZ.com, JackmasterRadio.com, AppStorm.net, among others. The Phoenix transplant—who now proudly reps Astoria, Queens—has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Arizona State University and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Sarah Barness

senior editor

Sarah Barness is the Senior Editor of A Plus and former trends and digital innovation editor for The Huffington Post. In 2014, she was ranked among the top ten most viewed writers sitewide for HuffPost, and was listed in the top 20 most viewed writers on the Web by MediaMetric. Sarah is a UC Berkely graduate with degrees in rhetoric and communications and has a passion for telling stories. When she is not working on her Sci-Fi novel or scouring the Internet for the latest trends, she is playing the banjo as her St. Bernard stands by, drooling.

Isaac Saul

lead editor

Isaac Saul is the Lead Editor of A Plus. Isaac is a University of Pittsburgh graduate where he majored in non-fiction writing and got his journalism start as the sports editor for The Pitt News. He is the author of a weekly column you can find on A Plus and was named one of the 16 people who shaped the 2016 election by Yahoo. Isaac has written from Israel, Mexico, India, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Indonesia, among others. His work has appeared on CNN, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail, Medium and more. You can follow him on Twitter @Ike_Saul

Claire Peltier

associate editor and lifestyle correspondent

Claire Peltier is an Associate Editor at A Plus. Claire graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a dual major in Non-Fiction Writing and Communications. After graduation, Claire worked as an Assistant Editor at Guest of a Guest where she helped produce the site’s “You Should Know” series and covered fashion, art, and social events throughout New York City. Claire’s writings have been published on Guest of a Guest, VERVE Social Magazine, A Plus, and more.

Carson Blackwelder

associate editor

Carson Blackwelder is an Associate Editor at A Plus for the Arts and Entertainment section. He was born and raised in North Carolina and graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill in 2013 where he majored in both journalism and English literature. Before joining A Plus, he worked at Wetpaint.com for three years before going freelance and contributing to IMDb.com, InStyle.com, ScottFeinberg.com, and others. Carson currently resides in New York City with his husband and beloved Netflix account.

Lindsay Geller

associate editor

Lindsay Geller is an Associate Editor at A Plus. Lindsay writes branded content, lifestyle, and entertainment articles, as well as the occasional all-too-personal personal essay, for A Plus. She graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, emphasis in creative nonfiction. She enjoys quoting Gilmore Girls to her cat, having a torrid love affair with peanut butter, and reading biographies of female sovereigns for inspiration.

Emily Becker

associate social media editor

Emily Becker is the Associate Social Media Editor of A Plus with experience in covering entertainment and culture and writing the occasional listicle. She graduated from the University of Missouri and made her way to Brooklyn by way of a two-year stint as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in western Africa. She is a proud native of Kansas City and maintains it is the definitive home to the best barbecue in the world.

Logan Tittle

director of video

Logan Tittle is the Director of Video at A Plus. Logan is a graduate from the University of Missouri where she got her start in online video. She hosts and produces videos on topics from news to lifestyle as well as viral content. Her work has appeared on Mashable, AOL, Weather.com, Newsy and more. When she isn’t editing, she’s busy trying to make her dog an Instagram star.

Raina Yoo

video editor

Raina Yoo is the Video Editor of A Plus. Raina has a M.F.A in Documentary Production from Hofstra University and a B.A in Radio/TV/Film Production from Rowan University. Prior to A Plus, she worked for a healthcare advertising agency in addition to producing various independent documentaries on her own. She is a strong believer in the power of positive stories, and loves boxing, music, and her fishes.

Katie Ward

social and video coordinator

Katie Ward is the Social and Video Coordinator at A Plus. She was born and raised in NYC and has a BFA from NYU and an MA from The Sotheby's Institute where she wrote her Master's Thesis on art that was made to be eaten. She has a background in arts and culture television production and comes to us by way of the NYC Art World. She is a new mom and also has a famous dog who loves art on Instagram (@PickleBeholding), it's both weird and cool.

Office

Sara Bernstein

office manager

Sara Bernstein is the Office Manager for A Plus. She comes to the company as a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she graduated cum laude with a major in Psychology and minors in Corporate Strategy and French. During her collegiate years, she held internships in the marketing and public relations fields, and she hopes to be able to use those skills to support A Plus and its endeavors. When she isn’t working, Sara can be found re-watching The Office and geeking out about her time abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France.